@Hear Nas’ Unearthed Pre-‘Illmatic’ Demo Tape!Spin.com brings you Nas’ pre-Illmatic demo tape, featuring a host of songs recorded prior to one of the most important rap albums of all time.

Though Illmatic featured only one guest rapper (AZ’s career-making verse on “Life’s a Bitch”), his tape features contributions from a number of rap legends, including Biz Markie, MC Serch, and Kool G. Rap, plus Illmatic producer and Nas confidant Large Professor. But more importantly it shows exactly why Nas' debut album was maybe the most feverishly anticipated in the genre's history.